Winders wins fifth term as sheriff

Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders won a fifth term in office Tuesday, defeating challenger Glenn Barnes with 64 percent of the votes cast in his favor.

Winders attributes his success to those close to him.

"I had enormous support from my friends and family," Winders said.

A campaign veteran, Winders said he has found running on strong character to be a winning strategy.

"In all my campaigns for sheriff, I have never run a negative ad," Winders said. "I don't intend to tear down another human being. I run on my accomplishments and what I plan to do."

Winders said during his next four years in office, his plans include designing a multi-agency effort to combat break-ins and continue to work with court and county officials to manage the county jail population. He also said he would like to increase the law enforcement presence in middle schools, similar to the programs that already exist in high schools.

But Winders noted that how much he can accomplish is largely dependent on how much money his office gets from the county Board of Commissioners.

"Nothing is free -- programs cost money," Winders said.

Barnes remained upbeat despite his loss.

"I made a lot of good friends during the campaign," he said. "The loss doesn't take that away."

"We did our best," Barnes added. "The early vote surprised me. That was a real hurt."

Winders also said he was surprised by the number of people who cast ballots early.

"This is the first time we had early voting, that was quite different," said Winders, who became the first Republican to hold the office of sheriff in Wayne in more than a century when he was first elected in 1994.

He attributed part of his campaign's success to new ways of reaching voters.

"I was enlightened to Facebook this year," Winders said, noting that he was able to answer questions posed by county residents.

He said he would continue to use Facebook as a networking tool between his deputies and the public.

Although he was happy, Winders was clearly relieved the campaign was over. His wife, Teresa, was at his side as his supporters celebrated at Lane Tree Golf Club on Tuesday night.

"It was stressful, seeing him running a campaign and the office at the same time," Mrs. Winders said. "Now we can sit down again and have a meal together."